And Life Goes On
by Ima Super Mute Ant
Summary: Hiei is coming down with something, and it's not a cold. WARNINGS: possible Shonen ai if I feel like it, HxK. Diseasedness.
1. Prologue: Sleeping

A/N: Yay! It's the Prologue! This is my first ever non-x-men fic. Yup, no gambit here… I don't know if I should be happy or sad…. Anyway, I just want everyone reading this to know that I'm trying my best on this one. There will (hopefully) be updates. Points and a digital cookie to anyone who can tell me what exactly Hiei's got .

Without further ado…

And Life Goes On: Sleeping

By Ima Super Mute Ant

Hiei was thirsty. Very thirsty. Thirsty and tired and he had to _pee_. In fact, Hiei had never in his life felt the intense discomfort that he found while slowly dying of dehydration and at the same time feeling like his entire body was about to explode from the amount of liquid within it.

He sat in the middle of Kurama's kitchen, on the floor, at 4:00 in the morning, and chugged the last bottle of milk from the fridge. He threw it across the room and shot out to the tree by Kurama's window to relieve his bladder, barely hearing the clunk of the milk jug hitting the other empty containers that lay scattered about the floor.

Hiei glared at the wall as he tried to clear the fog that distorted his vision. Every now and then he let out a quiet but sincere "fuck!" every few minutes. Hiei had no wish to wake the fox, and had barely enough energy to stand, yet still felt the urgent need to kill something with his bare hands.

At 5:00 Hiei got around to throwing out the milk jugs and juice containers he had taken from Kurama's house and walked out to his tree. However, as he looked up at the towering branches, Hiei realized that a change in sleeping arrangements would be welcome. He settled down at the foot of the tree and welcomed the sleep that engulfed him almost instantly.

He awoke later only to be violently sick in the grass. He blinked at the sun for almost ten minutes before realizing that it was past noon. Kurama's window was closed and the lights in the house were off, meaning the family was away for the rest of the day.

>Hiei easily picked the lock on the back door and slid into the sanctity of the Fox's kitchen. Without opening his eyes anymore that he had to (at all), Hiei jumped up onto the counter and stretched to reach the freezer and his beloved sweet snow.

He settled down with his back to the wall and commenced to eat the chocolate sweet snow with his hands, pausing only to periodically run (stumble slowly) to the woods outside for a pee break. The world contracted into the taste of the ice cream in his mouth and the nausea and fatigue he did his best to ignore.

Hiei found his vision blurring even more halfway through the pint, yet continued to eat. After all, it was probably some Makai flu or virus. It would pass with time, Hiei told himself. In fact he was having a hard time being miserable with his strange illness simply because of how _tired_ he was. The sweet snow didn't sit right, and all Hiei wanted to do was sleep, but he wouldn't be caught dead on Kurama's kitchen floor.

With a great deal of effort Hiei took his pint of sweet snow and stumbled into the trees outside Kurama's house. He found a good place beneath a bush to collapse, and did so, still clutching the melting ice cream to his chest as he fell asleep yet again.

…In his sleep he dreamed. It was not the living dream he had experienced while gorging on ice cream in Kurama's house. There was no gray at the edge of his vision, no persisting thirst that drove him mad.

He felt angry, annoyed, afraid, and a hint of nausea fell into his sleeping mind. He could feel his ki fluttering, and the Jagan rolled back into his head and fell asleep itself. The dragon on his arm slept, in his dream, the Jagan slept, the Makai slept.

In his dream Hiei could see Kurama floating by on a bed of rose petals, and Kuwabara, fast asleep, in a pool of burning ice. Then, all of a sudden, all he saw was color, and all he felt was anger… The water came crashing down on his head and…

Hiei awoke in the pouring rain without the energy to stand. He lay there, under the bush. For quite some time he lay there as his eyes blinked languidly without seeing much at all. The rain poured down, and Hiei felt cold. But most of all he felt _thirsty_, and _hungry_, and _tired, _and _pissed off_. For the third and final time, Hiei's eyes closed, but this time he was not asleep.

Ps. This has not been beta-read. Sorry for all problems. Please tell me if there's a major one.

-ISMA


	2. Speaking

A/N: YAY! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'm having so much fun doing this story . So far, the only one to figure out Hiei's problem was KyoHana, KyoHana receives cookies! DIGITAL COOKIES!

To all others, Don't worry, he's not dead….yet.

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And Life Goes On: Speaking

By Ima Super Mute Ant

Yusuke Urameshi had decided that life was beautiful. So beautiful in fact, that he had decided to skip school for the day and celebrate the beauty of it all. Yusuke Urameshi was free of all responsibilities and he _liked_ it that way.

It had been nearly a week since their last mission, the sun was shining, Keiko was at school, and Yusuke was at the arcade. Indeed, he thought, there was nothing that could beat such a life.

Yusuke cheerfully loitered for the rest of the school day, only disrupting his laziness once in order to pound some sense into a couple of thugs. Now, just as the sun was setting, he headed home with a spring in his step and a little more money in his pockets.

_The Only Thing_, Yusuke thought, _that could ruin my day now would be…_

"Yusuke!"

…_That_

Boton, oar and all, descended before Yusuke's dismayed face. She alighted on the ground, stopping him in his tracks with the power of her fierce glare.

"What are you doing, idiot?" She shouted, "You were supposed to be at Genki's nearly an hour ago!"

Yusuke allowed himself to be dragged away by the perturbed ferry girl with little more than a few choice words and a mournful look back at his quiet afternoon. _Life,_ he though with an inner sigh, _sucks_.

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Kurama looked at the small calendar on his desk and winced slightly. He had forgotten the gathering a Genki's and, most likely, so had Hiei. With a sigh he put his completed homework in his bag and went out to the open window, hoping to find the small fire demon with as little trouble as possible.

"Hiei?" he said, just loud enough to be heard, "Are you out there?"

"…Hiei?"

Kurama was sure that his friend was nearby, if he only just stretched out his youki, he could feel the small demon. In fact, Kurama noticed as he did just that, Hiei was closer that he had expected, just behind a bush outside his window. Kurama grumbled a bit at Hiei's obvious disregard.

Kurama had already gone out into the garden before he realized that Hiei spirit energy was fluctuating. He hurried slightly faster, hoping that his friend was not injured, and soon came upon Hiei's unresponsive body.

The first thing that Kurama noticed, besides the pool of vomit less than a foot away and the half-empty carton of ice-cream clutched in Hiei arms, was that Hiei had lost over half his body weight since the time that Kurama had last seen him, two weeks ago. His bones protruded from his skin, his eyes were sunken. Kurama had to force down panic when he saw how Hiei's previously tight fitting clothing hung off him like oversized bed sheets.

Hiei's breathing remained steady but shallow even when Kurama called his name. The fox reached out to feel the Koorime's pulse, finding it far to fast.

Kurama lifted the smaller demon in his arms, becoming more alarmed when Hiei didn't stir, and carried him into the house. Leaving Hiei on the kitchen table, Kurama left to get the phone to call Genki. Hopefully, he thought, the old woman would know something he did not.

Kurama's hands shook as he dialed, it took him three tries and innumerable curses before he finally got the right number.

"Please, Hiei." Kurama whispered allowed as he listened to the ring, "..be ok"

An hour later, Kurama found himself at Genki's temple with a still-unconscious fire demon on the floor. Yukina leaned over him, every now and again attempting to heal him with her youki.

She glanced up at Genki with tears on the edge of her vision. Kuwabara, halfway across the room, barely kept himself from rushing to comfort her. Yusuke (completely serious now after Boton had dragged him to the temple and they had found Hiei half-dead in Kurama's arms) took hold of his larger friends arm before he did something stupid.

"I… Hiei-san…" Yukina sniffed a moment before reaching out to touch Hiei with the blue light yet again, "Hiei-san is not injured… I can't heal…" With that Yukina fell into tears, gems landing on the floor with a sound like metal raindrops.

"It's alright Yukina." Genki said from her place by the girl's side. "It's not you fault if the idiot went and got himself some strange disease." This only caused Yukina to cry harder. Kurama, hidden in the shadows since his arrival with Hiei in hand, said nothing.

Hiei, Kurama thought, would never let Yukina cry like this. She may not know he was her brother but he still took the responsibility. Kurama had seen Hiei brush off dislocations, wounds, and even a partially severed limb to keep Yukina from worrying. Yet now Hiei lay without responding while Yukina's precious tears formed piles on the ground in front of him.

Time froze in that moment, each member of the Reikai Tantei absorbed in his own thoughts. Kurama gazed at Hiei's face. It was not calm, but expressionless and the very stillness of Hiei's body made Kurama want to scream. Hiei was not supposed to be likethis! Kurama held his body still in the shadows even as it yearned to run out and throw itself upon his motionless friend.

Kurama knew that Kuwabara was far more concerned with Yukina's distress than Hiei's well-being, and Yusuke, despite his good intentions, didn't have the attention span to truly perceive the seriousness of the situation. Kurama was the only one in the room who was contemplating a world without the small demon in it. And Kurama was the only one who found such a world unbearable.

"Well?" He said when the silence grew too strong, "What is it?" He felt the Youko in him become agitated, and he fought to keep his composure. There was nothing Kurama wanted more than to rip Hiei from Yukina's grasp and shake him into waking life.

"I…" Yukina snuffled before she was cut off by the old woman at her side.

"We don't know." Genki growled.

"Is it a Makai sickness? A curse? Some unknown enemy?" Kurama demanded. There had to be an explanation! Demons didn't just up and die, and Kurama knew that that was exactly what would happen to Hiei.

"No." Genki responded before lapsing back into silence.

Kurama's eyes flashed around the room. The rest of his comrades looked sadly on the fire demon's body. Defeated eyes watched every shallow breath as if it would be his last.

"What are you going to do?" Kurama asked, his voice shaking. He couldn't loose Hiei. He couldn't….

Silence answered his question. All eyes stayed on Hiei, and the only sound that permeated the room was Yukina's sobs. Kurama felt defeat in every look and every movement in the room. He furiously glared at the gathered Tantei, silently demanding an explanation even as they silently refused.

His eyes finally came to rest on the old woman, her hand laid gently on Hiei's forehead and her expression holding a weariness that foretold nothing but doom for Kurama's…. friend.

He moved forward, standing in a pose that almost screamed _Youko_ and demanded once again with fury,

"What the _fuck_ are you going to do?"

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A/N: Once again unbeta-ed please forgive any mistakes. NEXT TIME: DIAGNOSIS!


	3. Hurting

A/N: I realized this morning that I've been spelling Genkai's name wrong. Dammit! Just shows what happens when you're lazy. Sorry folks.

Thanks to: LoversPastForgotten, KyoHana, Mirza, and Jessica. Who reviewed for chapter one.

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Last time on And Life Goes On:

_He moved forward, standing in a pose that almost screamed Youko and demanded once again with fury,_

"_What the fuck are you going to do?"_

And now we continue with the story:

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And Life Goes On: Hurting (in the heart)

By Ima Super Mute Ant

Genkai remained silent in the face of Kurama's fury, saying nothing. For the first time in years Kurama felt real fury. His eyes flashed gold and he felt a growl issuing up from his chest.

"You will do nothing?" He shouted, "He's going to _die_!"

"Kurama, man…" Yusuke started, reaching out for Kurama's arm.

"What?" The Fox shouted, turning towards the spirit detective, "You want me to leave this _alone, _Yusuke?"

"No way I just don't think you should…"

"Oh shut up." Kurama's callousness shocked Yusuke into silence. Without another word the red haired Fox strode into the center of the room and lifted Hiei onto his shoulders.

"Kurama-san!" Yukina gasped, "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking him to a hospital." Kurama responded flatly. He turned towards the door without another word, ignoring the Tantei's words of protest. "If it's not a Makai disease then it must be from the ningenkai."

"How will you hide his demon nature from the ningen doctors?" Genki asked.

"I will figure that out on the way." Kurama responded before walking calmly out of the temple and towards the nearest hospital. He knew it would be hard to hide Hiei's Jagan eye and demon nature from the hospital staff but Kurama was willing to try anything and everything. A ningen hospital was the only option he had left.

Kurama had had his fill of hospitals. Just stepping inside the bustling emergency room brought back memories of the years of his mother's sickness. He had spent the last five years of his human life coming to that hospital every day after school, every weekend, every holiday. His mother's room in that very hospital had probably changed hand many times since Shiori's recovery, yet Kurama still felt that he could find his way there with his eyes bound shut and his youki stifled.

The male nurse at the desk quickly removed Hiei from Kurama's grip and secured him to a gurney. Doctors swarmed his unconscious friend and Kurama was forced to fight to keep by his koorime's side.

"Don't remove the headband…" He told the doctors just before they pushed him out of the examination room, "it's against his religion…"

"Against his religion?" a young nurse said, her eyebrows raised in disbelief, before handing him a large stack of forms.

"_Yes._" He growled. Kurama sat down in the emergency room, slowly filling out forms as best he could without getting him or Hiei into trouble. He paused only to worry and to send the occasional glare at the cheeky nurse.

An hour passed, and two, and three. It was long past dark when a doctor summoned Kurama to his office to discuss Hiei's condition. Kurama felt his heart pound as he sat in the uncomfortably soft chair in front of the doctor's desk. He pulled at his fingers and hair and even managed to rip the sleeve of his favorite shirt without noticing.

"Minamino-san" The doctor began in the sort of deep voice that promised dire news, the same sort of voice that had told him of his mothers illness years ago, "The first thing I need to address is your relationship to this boy, confidentiality is an important concern…"

"I'm his best friend." Kurama said in the voice he reserved only for enemies and idiots, "I'm all he has." His eyes narrowed a little as the doctor seemed to consider his options.

"Very well then." The doctor responded bluntly, "Your friend arrived here with and elevated glucose level of 708. He is currently in a hyperglycemic coma."

"A coma?" Kurama asked, stunned. Comas were bad. You didn't always wake up form a coma. Behind the hard shell around his mind Kurama experienced the complete desolation, as if a nuclear war had destroyed his heart and his conscious thought.

"Yes. However, there is a good chance he will wake up soon. The coma is merely his current problem." Kurama remained silent, his eyes wide and no longer hostile. He would wait until the doctor had finished playing with his emotions to absorb the information. At least he now had the belief that Hiei would live.

"We have diagnosed your friend with type one diabetes mellitus. Do you know what this means?"

"No…" Kurama replied. Again his mind was in furious action. Diagnosed meant it was serious. Diagnosed could mean it was chronic.

"Jaganshi-san's immune system," The doctor began, "Has in effect destroyed the insulin producing cells in his pancreas. That is to say, that he no longer has any way of converting sugar into energy for use in the body. The sugar levels in his blood stream have become far too high and because his body is not receiving enough nutrition it has shut down.

Kurama blinked.

"Jaganshi-san has gone into what is called diabetic ketoacidosis. We currently have his on a fluid drip and we are in the process of lowering his blood-sugar to acceptable levels. He may need a few weeks of hospitalization after he awakes but I see no future complications."

Kurama relaxed slightly with the knowledge that _Hiei would live_.

"However," the doctor said (Kurama was beginning to feel faint from all the mood swings he was experiencing), "There is no cure for diabetes. There is no way we can make Jaganshi-san produce insulin on his own. He will have to deal with this for the rest of his life."

'The rest of his life' played across Kurama's mind as if it were written on the doctor's forehead. Hiei would live, Kurama was glad. Hiei would not be cured, Kurama felt a tearing at his heart that he had only experienced once before, when Kuronue was killed. And yet, Hiei would live.

"What do I have to know?" Kurama asked, for the moment filled with joy at the thought that his Hiei would live to be an old and grumpy demon.

The doctor smiled in a way that seemed to soften his sharp features more than Kurama could have believed. He sighed and, almost chuckling, pulled a couple of books and pamphlets from his desk.

"I was hoping you would say that."

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A/N: Far too short for my likeing. Sorry folks. Next one will be longer I promise. NEXT CHAPTER: Hiei learns what diabetes is all about and is not pleased. We to BGMs!

ANOTHER NOTE: There **IS NO CURE** for diabetes. Donate to the ADA and help to save the lives of the over **20.8 MILLION **people living in America with diabetes. For more information go to http/ to see how you can help.


	4. Awakening

A/N: Happy turkey day every one! And for those who don't celebrate, Happy ANTI-turkey day! . Here's another chapter, short because writing was like pulling off limbs…

Ya'll should know that this Thanksgiving is MY BIRTHDAY! Yup, that's right, I'm turning 16 for the first time in my life! Send me lots of happy birthday reviews and maybe I won't feel like my life is passing me by.

_A Note On the Story_: The next few chapters (and some of what has come before) may be a little off because I can't remember getting diabetes. This means I have no Idea what its like having all this explained to me except for a vague 4-year-old view. This may be slightly inaccurate. Sorry. My memory isn't perfect and I tented to ignore my doctor 'cause he was really old and my shoes were more interesting.

_Thanks to_: Kyohana (Who has _every _chapter so far, the doll), Jessica, and Deannamay for reviewing.

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And Life Goes On: Awakening

By Ima Super Mute Ant

Hours passed as the doctor explained and passed over pamphlet after book after paper document. Kurama absorbed it all, forcing himself to memorize the facts as he had for hundreds of high school biology tests and Makai treasure vaults. Finally, after hours of discussion from the doctor, Kurama was allowed to go into Hiei's room.

Hiei lay in complete stillness. Kurama felt almost completely cut off from the world for that moment as he sat by Hiei's bed in the silent room.

His friend had been hooked up to a silently flashing monitor and an IV drip had been threaded into his arm. Hiei looked at peace, yet at the same time Kurama couldn't bear to see him so still.

"Hiei…" He whispered, for the moment forgetting all the rules about blood-sugars and insulin injections, now all he thought about was the way Hiei had always hated to be so motionless.

"Hiei." He whispered again, leaning down and putting his mouth right next to the Koorime's ear. "Hiei, please wake up."

He would wake up. The doctor had told Kurama that he would wake up. And still, Kurama felt a small tear fall down his cheek, what if he didn't?

Abruptly, just as he found his hand hovering over the demon's forehead, Kurama stood and strode towards the door. There was not point in loitering by Hiei's side when he could be speaking to the doctors and the nurses about his Koorime's future. Kurama couldn't simply sit by Hiei's bedside and wait.

And yet, Kurama paused with his hand on the doorknob, and yet….

"Where the _fuck_ am I, Fox?" Snapped a muffled voice from the bed. Kurama stopped, turned, and finally let go of his emotions with a burst of tears.

"_Hiei."_ He cried, running so fast across the room that even the small and annoyed Demon in the bed couldn't have seen it. In a flash he was at Hiei's side, his face buried wetly in the Koorime's chest.

Hiei took more than couple minutes to get over his shock at such an un-Kurama like display. His hands lifted awkwardly to Kurama's hair and patted in a way that was comforting in it's sheer self-conscious gracelessness.

"Fox…" Hiei began, not understanding where he was or why he was in what appeared to be a ningen prison, "I'm _thirsty._"

"Ok." Kurama snuffled, getting a hold of himself before he really disturbed his still confused friend. He Stood and walked to the small sink in the bathroom with a shaky gait, returning with a vile-pink plastic pitcher of water. Hiei downed it in less time than it had taken Kurama to get it.

There was a moment of silence as Hiei stared at Kurama's face, trying to make his vision less blurry. Again the Koorime asked where they were, and Kurama was forced to tell him.

"Hn." Hiei growled. Kurama roughly translated Hiei's grunt into many unpronounceable Makai curses, and decided it was maybe time to get the doctor. He stayed only a moment longer, simply to admire Hiei's open eyes, before walking out the door. Hiei was not only alive but _awake_, and Kurama couldn't be happier.

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The doctor came and went with an explanation of Hiei's new life-style and a brand new blood-sugar meter. Hiei had glared at it as well as he could (he was still far to tired to get a good glower going) before reluctantly taking up the small device meant to make holes in his fingers and doing just that. His first blood-sugar, taken by himself, was 307.

Hiei seemed to have expended all his energy before the doctor had arrived, and was slowly nodding off even as the man spoke. The violent outbreak Kurama expected had yet to show itself, and Kurama wasn't sure whether to be pleased or fearful.

Kurama had the feeling that his diminutive friend did not completely grasp what had happened. The Koorime was still exhausted and spewing nonsensical insults and everyone he encountered. Not to mention the fact that Hiei hardly knew what a hospital was, his only knowledge of it was what he had connected to Kurama's mother.

Hiei accepted the IV without too much fuss, most likely because he had spent all his energy bitching, and he had done what the doctor told him simply because Kurama was glaring at him from over the man's head and he was too tired to put up a fuss. Kurama dreaded the day when Hiei was back to normal and could completely understand what had happened. More so than that, Kurama dreaded the day Hiei realized that his beloved sweet snow was out of the question.

When told that his number was about two hundred mg/dl over normal rage Hiei glared even more, yet Kurama grinned. Hiei had long ago come to realize that Kurama's smile could mean just as much as his own non-verbal grunt. This time Kurama's smile said, "At least you're alive". Hiei was coming to realize that "at least your alive" would be all he could infer for a great deal of time.

Again, the small fire demon succumbed to sleep, although to sleep in a building full of ningens with needles was against every instinct. Kurama remained by his bedside with a book on endocrinology.

It had been just over a day since Kurama had first brought Hiei into the hospital Emergency room, and he wondered if perhaps he should call the others back at Genkai's. He considered and, gazing at Hiei's calmly sleeping face, felt a wave of anger towards those who had given up on his Koorime. They didn't deserve to know if Hiei was all right, he decided, not when they had given up on his chances of living.

Not to mention that he would be able to concentrate on helping Hiei if the others weren't there. Kurama intended to learn everything he could about diabetes before Hiei was discharged. After all, knowing Hiei the way he did, Kurama knew that it would be an uphill battle for some time to come.

Kurama transferred the heavy textbook (borrowed from one of the hospital interns) for a pamphlet entitled _Managing Your Diabetes_. There was no way he would ever get Hiei to read a pamphlet like this, much less a book, so Kurama would read it for him. After all, what are friends for?

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ANOTHER NOTE: There IS NO CURE for diabetes. Donate to the ADA or the IDF or any other diabetes association and help to save the lives of the over 154 MILLION people living with diabetes worldwide. For more information go to www. idf .org or to www. diabetes .org to see how you can help.


	5. Realizations

Authors Note: There we go! The fourth chapter of _And Life Goes On_. I'm getting a litter further into the plot now! YAY!

Sorry this took so long, schoolwork and carpal tunnel syndrom have kept me from writing for a couple weeks. Carpal Tunnel SUCKS… after over an hour and a half of piano every day and then two hours of tying at work four days a week I couldn't move my wrists without searing pain. I had to wear a brace for about two weeks and now I can't do more than an hour of typing or piano without hurting myself… boo

Thanks to: Jessica, Darksoul0016, and Kyohana (who thinks I'm a good writer .) for reviewing chapter 3. Ya'll are wonderful! Also, points to Kyohana for using the word "Malady".

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And Life Goes On: Realizations

By Ima Super Mute Ant

"Hiei I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation." Kurama began the moment they had some time alone. Hiei had been acting entirely too blasé about the entire thing, and Kurama was begging to worry about the level of damage his violent friend would cause the building once he found out.

"Hn?" Hiei asked from the bed. He was in a surprisingly good mood, considering being surrounded by ningens and their foolish ningen devices, "As soon as we get back to the old bats I just get Yukina to fix me."

Kurama didn't think he had ever heard Hiei sound so reasonable or open before in his life. It was probably the longest sentence he would ever get from the demon, and it hurt to know that he had to set Hiei straight.

"This isn't fixable." Kurama said flatly, not even attempting to soften the blow, "The disease is genetic, Hiei, your immune system is attacking your islet cells and there is no way to turn it back. Yukina can't fix this."

"Hn."

_He doesn't get it,_ Kurama gave an exasperated sigh, "Hiei…" The little demon was frowning at the floor, his previous good mood gone. Kurama waited, knowing that Hiei had something to say.

"… What is genetic?" The demon asked. Any question was painful for Hiei to ask.

"It means it came from your parents, most likely your father, and you can't simply get rid of it."

"…."

Kurama waited. It seemed as though he might have finally gotten his demon to understand. And yet perhaps….

"Hn."

…Perhaps that was too much for Kurama to expect. He was about to respond to Hiei's oh-so-casual refusal of everything Kurama had to say, only to realize that his diminutive friend had fallen asleep.

Kurama unconsciously pushed a strand of hair back from Hiei's forehead, realizing with a jolt that although the demon was better, he was still not in top form. It would probably take months for Hiei to gain back the weight he had lost, and even longer to get into his top fighting form.

The gaunt face looked even more sickly and childish in the gloom of the dark room. Dark shadows made Hiei's eyes look like pits, his skin was stretched over his cheeks and ribs, when Kurama let his hand fall upon the small demon's face he felt cold and clammy sweat. The kitsune could feel tears welling up, but he refused to cry them. If he cried, Kurama knew, Hiei would wake up and ask why.

_He's going to live,_ Kurama reminded himself, even though it seemed like little consolation. Almost despite of himself, Kurama corrected his previous thought, _He's going to live through this _if_ he does things right._

That simple 'if' summed up Kurama's fears like nothing else. Hiei would live _if_ he took shots and did his blood sugar, _if_ he didn't ignore himself like Kurama knew he wanted to, _if_…

If Hiei couldn't do it then Kurama would just have to do it for him, the kitsune decided. It wasn't like Kurama hadn't taken care of Hiei before. He healed Hiei when the half-koorime came to him with injuries, he fed the little demon, he made sure his friend had a warm place to sleep. It wasn't anymore of a stretch to take care of his lo- his friend's diabetes as well.

Reassured in his ability to take care of those dearest to him, Kurama relaxed, and let his hands rest. A few moments later, the nurse arrived to tell him that visiting hours were over. Just like all the nights before, Kurama made a big deal of leaving, only to return moments later through the jaganshi's window.

Another brief thought was sent towards Yusuke and the others, but again Kurama decided against calling them. If they really cared about Hiei, he determined, they would have found them by now. Kurama felt a slight flash of anger at his other 'friends' for their lack of concern, but let it slide away just as quickly as he fell into a watchful sleep.

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Moments later Hiei opened his eyes, making sure the fox was deeply asleep before slipping one of the pamphlets from his bedside table.

Hiei felt…bad. It was the only word he could use to describe his weakness. He knew that he would not be able to defeat even the lowest of demons in his current state, and he certainly didn't believe Kurama when he said that there was no way he could get rid of the stupid thing.

Diseases could be fixed. Hiei had learned that much from Yukina, and even Kurama himself. The ningen mother of his had been about to die of 'disease' and Kurama had fixed her. Certainly there was a way to fix him as well, he just needed to find it.

Still, Hiei felt annoyed that the fox was the one telling him about his own body. He opened the pamphlet, hoping to find some explanation for the weakness he felt, as well as the annoyance that seemed so different from the usual anger he felt. He felt like killing things, certainly, but he also felt like _hurting_ things, which was something entirely different. Hiei felt like _hurting _the stupid pillows they had given him at the damn ningen prison. He felt like_ hurting_ the nurses, the doctors, even Kurama himself. He felt like throwing a chair through the window and then tossing an intern after it.

Hiei settled for ripping the pamphlet into shreds and then burning it before picking up another one. He wanted to know about this 'genetics' thing, and he wanted to know now.

The demon was still awake and reading four hours later, and finally he was beginning to get an idea of what the Fox had been talking about. Hiei had a whole new thing to be angry at, and it just made him angrier.

It wouldn't go away. He realized. It wouldn't _fix. _ Hiei suddenly wished that Kurama was awake, so he could curse at him, so he could get one of those hugs the fox was so fond of giving.

Again Hiei looked down at the pamphlet that declared the possible repercussions, loss of limbs, heart disease, kidney disease, damage to his nervous system, seizures, comas, _blindness_. Hiei felt an almost world shaking fear at the thought of being unable to see, it froze him in place and made him break out in even more cold sweat.

Never before had he been afraid. He was not afraid of demons or ningens or even Koenma, but the thought of _his own body_ making him blind was more that the small half-koorime could handle.

Hiei felt a telltale wetness around his eyes and snapped his fists up to cover them. The last thing he needed was another teargem. He couldn't cry now, he would wake up his lo- his _friend_.

_I don't cry_, Hiei thought stubbornly as the hard crystal fell through his hands and onto the floor with a pure, sharp, A flat.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANOTHER NOTE: There IS NO CURE for diabetes Based on death certificate data, diabetes contributed to 224,092 _deaths_ in 2002. It affects over 20.8 million people in the united states, 6.2 million people don't know they have it. . For more information go to _www. diabetes. org/ home. jsp _or _www. idf. org/ home/_ to see how you can help.


	6. Tear Jems

Okay so, I'm really sorry that I didn't post this sooner. It's been so long! This christmas, my brother returned from colledge in Ireland and he crashed the computer on his first day back. We've only just had it fixed... so sad ----. Thanks to Jessica, foxhiei (sue the doctor. sue him in the FACE!), Kyla of the Moon Wolf Clan, and KyoHana who is my new favorite person!

* * *

And Life Goes On: Tear Jems

* * *

Koorime tear jems are one of the most remarkable rocks in the three worlds. hightly valuealbe and just as rare, a handfull of hiruseki can purchase an entrie villaige in southern Makai and, when placed in the right hands, a condo in downtown New York. 

Unknown to most, tear jems are capable of a perfect pitch and tone when struck. I nthe old days when Kooorime were more plentiful (and more emotional) the jems were used to make beautiful instruments and wind chimes which could be sold or traded for nausiating amounts of money.

Kurama didn't know this. He _did_ know that he had been awaken by the sound of a tear jems hitting the floor. He knew that he never wanted to see _his_ Hiei crying again. The small Koorime looked up, more unshed jewels lingering on his eyes, andlet out a scalding Makai curse that made even Kurama's ears turn a little red.

Kurama, still silent, bent down to pick up the jem and placed it carefully in his pocket before setting himself on the edge of Hiei's bed. A long silece passed between the two. Hiei's red irisis somehow avioding Kurama's gaze even as thier eyes locked.

"This piece of ningen paper says I will go blind." Hiei said, almost a whisper.

"You won't go blind" Kurama whispered back.

"Well I don't fucking want to." Hiei growled, his eyes shifting from wide and childlike to angry slits in a matter of seconds.

Despite himself, Kurama began to chuckle. He reached out and gave his friend a brief hug. Hiei's growling made Kurama's chest vibrate, and drew out even more laughter from the fox. The laughter made Hiei growl even more, continuing the great circle that was thier relationship.

"You won't." He whispered again, "You won't go blind. I'll take care of you."

"I don't want to be taken cae of." Came the almost childish voice. Kurama could hear that Hiei was growing tired again, the curses that issued from the Koorime's mouth were becoming more incomprehensible. With another smile, Kurama pushed Hiei to lay down and pulled the covers up to his chin. Hiei was blinking heavily as Kurama leaned down next to him and pressed what might have been called a good night kiss on the ward over Hiei's jagan. Hiei was too tired to notice anything other than the warm feeling of being tucked in .

"That's too bad for you." Kurama said before walking back to his chair, "Because I'm doing it anyway."

* * *

Morning dawned bright and early in the endocrinology ward of St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Kurama was awake once again, eatin hospital food that tasted only slightly of plastic. Hiei slept. 

The koorime's blood sugar was finally at an acceptable 118, and he had gained a small amount of weight over the past week. He was still almost skeletal, his eyes shrunken in his head and big as saucers. At times, Kurama found himself taking the sleeping demon's arm and measuring it against his own. Sometimes it frightened him just how _small_ Hiei had become.

He was sitting with Hiei and trying to force food down the small demon's throat when thier 'friends' and teammates finally caught up with them. Kurama merely rolled his eyes at Yusuke's furious and, as always, loud entry. The hanyou and Kuwabara barged into the room like the hulking elephants they so often seemed to be, followed closly by Genkai, Keiko, and Yukina.

"You son of a bitch!" Yusuke greeted, raising his voice just slightly over what was allowed in the hospital, "You god damn _fucking_ sunnuvabitch!"

Kurama raised a questioning eye brow and Hiei took a bite of (sugar free) pudding. They both waited a couple minutes to let Yusuke fume before Kurama answered in his usual calm voice, "Yes?"

"How _dare_ you?"

"Dare I what?" Kurama asked waspishly. His calm and friendly demenor was begining to crack as he remebered the way he had left them, only a week before. He was still angry, and he had yet to forgive _or_ forget what had occured when they learned of Hiei's illness.

"You take him to a fucking _hospital_ and then you don't even call for a whole week? What's _wrong_ with you?" Yusuke steamed, supported by the occational "yeah!" from Kuwabara and a supportive angry silence from the girls. "Do you know what would happen if those doctors found out that he was a demon?"

Badly suppresed anger burned in Kurama's eyes as he went on the offense. If Yusuke wanted to yell then he would get all the yelling he could hold.

"Found out?" He shouted, for once completely ignoring the rules of the institution, "Who cares? My... Hiei was _dying_, Yusuke! He would have _died_ if I hadn't taken him here. Would you have wanted his death on your head?"

"Yukina knows more about healing than any of these doctors combined, she could have found something eventually. She could have fixed whatever it is without you jeprodizing our entire way of life." Genkai chimed.

"It can't be fixed." Said Hiei, speaking for the first time since the crowd had entered his room. He _had_ been enjoying the argument, but now his good mood was ruined. "It's... It's... Gemetric."

"Genetic." Kurama corrected in a softer voice.

"Hai." Hiei replied, "That."

Silence followed Hiei's statement. The anger that had previously filled the room leaked away without notice. Hiei took another bite of pudding.

"Well... What?" Kuwabara asked, voicing the question that everyone wanted to ask.

"I have..." Hiei paused, before bringing out one of the pamphlets he had been reading that night, He scanned it for a moment, refreshing, before answering again, "...Diabetes. I am no longer allowed to have sweet snow." this was said in the most mournful voice ever to come from his lips.

"... I'm sorry?" Keiko said, still confused as to what was going on. It was at that point that Kurama had enough of the company. He began herding them out of the room with his usual satin-over-steel smile.

"Listen," He told them, trying his best to be friendly despite his lasting anger, "Hiei will be coming home tomorrow, you can talk to him then. Right now he needs to rest."

They filed out, each with thier own grubles and goodbyes. Yukina was the last to leave, he eyes lingered over Hiei's emancipated body for just a moment before she slipped out of the room. The silence that followed was like a deep breath of air for the two remaining.

Kurama settled himself once more on the chair next to Hiei's bed, he stole one of the Koorime's potato chips with a forced grin. Hiei was staring at him with the sort of eyes that meant he had questions.

"You.. fought over me." Hiei said, more of a question than a statement. "They didn't want to send me here?"

"I did what was needed." Kurama told him, "To make sure that you would be okay."

"Hiei?" Kurama asked, confused by the silence that was rolling of his friend in waves.

"... Thankyou." Hiei said, "For caring."

"I'll always care," Kurama told him softly, a hand laid just a few inches from Hiei's arm on the bed, "You're my best friend."

* * *

There ya'll go. I'll try to update again real soon... 

-ISMA


	7. Stick It

A/N: Ok, so. It's officially been a really long time since I last updated. I'm sorry about this. It just so happens that _And Life Goes On_ fell to the vicious grip of my Naruto fandom. However, I truly intend to continue and I will be updating more often.

Thanks to KyoHana (you doll), Dragon Tamer103088, InuRoxs, Blade of Athena, Taiyou," Animefouryou, Val (my dahling beta-reader and wanna-betic), Latina Jun, Avacados are evil, Suuichi, andAiso-san (yeah diabetes-buddies!!).

Special fantastic ginormous thanks and a great big piece of birthday cake to Alchemist Neko-chan who snapped me out of my funk and reminded me that this story wasn't dead yet.

* * *

And Life Goes On: Stick It

* * *

"Hello, Hiei," the diabetes-educator cheerfully greeted, "my name is Eileen. 

"Hn." Said Hiei.

"I'm going to show you a whole bunch of new stuff about diabetes and then we'll get you on your way ok? I'm hoping to keep this appointment short."

Eileen was a cheerfull woman with a bag full of interesting plastic things and an understanding smile. Hiei loathed understanding smiles.

Kurama sat quietly on the other side of the round table that took up most of the diabetes-educator's room. Hiei was, as usual, sulking in his small plastic chair. His mood _had_ improved a great deal since he had started on insulin shots (administered by a hulking male nurse named Guido), but that was saying very little.

Eileen had drawn a veriety of items from her bag of wonders and set them on the desk in a line. A needle, an orange, and some things in plastic cheerfully smiled up at Hiei's scowling face.

"We have you on two different forms of insulin," Eileen informed him as she drew two bottles from the minifridge under her desk.

"This one is NPH," She said, indicating a cloudy bottle orange cap, "It's long acting. That means that it keeps your bloodsugar down all day long, I have a graph to show you how and when NPH peaks."

"Hn." Said Hiei. Kurama opened his mouth, wanting to chastise his friend for being so rude, but reminded himself to let Hiei learn on his own. Staying quiet was almost painful for the fox.

"This one is Humalog," Eileen continued without the slightest waver in her demenor. She lifted a bottle of clear liquid with a bright purple cap and placed it next to the first. "It's short acting, so you take it when you eat or when you're bloodsugar is high."

Hiei nodded, his eyes creasing as he focused on the two bottles of life saving liquid. Eileen then told him that he would be loading up and administering his own shots. She pulled up the needle and placed it in Hiei's hand with a grin.

"You can practise on the orange a few times to get it right." She told him.

"Are you sure…" Kurama began, unsure wether Hiei would be willing to jab himself with a needle no matter what some ningen said.

"Shhhh…." Hiei hissed. He was concentrating.

The bright orange cap of the needle was removed and 10 units of air inserted into each bottle. Hiei drew up four units of humalog and then eight units of NPH in the same needle. He paused, letting his death glare rest a moment on the little black line where the plunger rested, and then pushed the hair-thin needle into the orange's flesh. He pushed the plunger down.

"Good job!" Eileen cheered, "Now you can do one for yourself."

"Hn?!" Hiei cried. She wanted him to stick _that_ in himself? Crazy fucking women and their crazy fucking ningen ideas. His hand tightened on the insulin bottle but, thankfully, no one noticed the hair thin cracks that developed on its surface.

"It's really simple, I have some salene you can use."

"No." Hiei said, putting the new needle she had just handed him down on the desk with a slap.

"It doesn't hurt at all…" Eileen began.

"No." Hiei said again, monotone.

"You've already let the nurses do it a whole bunch of times," Eileen argued, "and it's better if you do it yourself."

"No!" Hiei shouted. He didn't _want_ to impale himself with a ningen torture device. They could do it to him but he certainly wouldn't do it to himself!

"_I'll_ do it." Kurama said with a tinge of anger in his voice, "give me the needle."

"No." Hiei muttered. Despite his refusal, he passed the needle (now loaded with a delicious salty water) to his lo- friend and thrust his arm in the fox's direction.

Eileen gave them an understanding, though strained, smile. "Maybe later Hiei will be able to do his own shots, but for now this will work out fine."

Kurama gave her a polite smile in return and proceeded to give Hiei an entirely painless injection. Hiei still winced, just barely managing to avoid closing his eyes.

He was deeply convinced that demons were never meant to shove _anything_ into their muscles in that way and that the ningen had developed them as an inticate form of torture.

Eileen gave them a lesson on carb-counting (something that boiled down to "one unit for every 15 grams of carbs and don't eat ice cream), and a lesson on lows, and a lesson on highs, and a lesson on needles, and a lesson on alcohol swabs. By the time Hiei and Kurama had left the small room their heads were spinning with information and things to remember and _pamphlets._

* * *

Hiei was still sulking as they packed up the contents of his hospital room. He grumbled when Kurama reminded him to check his bloodsugar. He snapped at the nurses when they tried to help carry his small posesions to the elevator. 

The hanyou had thought that he and Kurama would simply run back to the fox's house, it had always been one of the few things he could enjoy in a ningen city. However, Kurama quickly diabused him of the notion by hailing a cab when they were a block away from the hospital.

"Why must I be crammed into this rediculous ningen contraption!" Hiei nearly screamed.

"You're not up to running yet Hiei," Kurama explained calmly. "Have you checked your bloodsugar?"

"Who are you to tell me what I am to do or not? I cannot believe this! I hate this stupid… box on wheels… smells like… I'm tired." Hiei was out like a light, still tired from his hospital stay and an elevated bloodsugar.

Kurama rode the rest of the way home in peace, and carried his _very close friend_ into the house.

The fox demon tucked Hiei into the bed and made his own sleeping place on the floor. The small demon was dwarfed by Kurama's bedsheets, and looked just as sickly as he had in the hospital.

To Kurama, Hiei looked like nothing less than a jewel, the kind that he had once stolen from the rich inhabitants of the Makai.

Hiei was just as precious, _more _precious, than Kurama's conquests simply because he was one of a kind and Kurama would never have to steal him from anyone. Hiei was a gift.

As the most important gem in Kurama's collection, which Hiei most certainly was, the little fire demon would be protected. Protected from attack, and disease, and himself.

Kurama settled down to sleep with contentment; his jewel was safe and guarded. He could finally relax.

* * *

A/N Sorry this is so short, but I feel like it should end here. I REALLY DO intend to make the next chapter soon, so please continue to pester me with reviews By the way, I turned 17 this week!! YAY ME! 

_Diabetes kills more than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Find out more at www . diabetes . org_


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